I had the great opportunity to play in the American Junior Golf Association’s Junior-Am on the eve of the Rolex Tournament of Champions at Great Waters.

It was a fun day. The weather was great and it’s always great to play Great Waters, perhaps the signature course of the Reynolds Plantation collection.

But the highlight was the opportunity to spend four hours in a cart with Eugene Hong, a 16-year-old from Sanford, Fla., who is ranked No. 1 in the highly competitive world of junior golf.

Eugene is a very polite and considerate young man, the son of a Korean pastor, who has a wonderful swing, an amazing short game (he holed out from off the green twice during our round) and can putt the lights out.

He has already committed to the University of Florida, even though he can’t sign any official documents or have any contact with the coach. But he carries a Gators’ ball marker — so that makes it pretty solid.

Click here to reach a story about the young man they call Eugene the Machine.